Leon Ware (February 16, 1940 – February 23, 2017) was an American

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

, producer, composer, and singer. Besides a solo career as a performer, Ware was best known for producing hits for other artists including

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

Maxwell Maxwell may refer to: People * Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist * Justice Maxwell (disambiguation) * Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage o ...

Minnie Riperton Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single "Lovin' You" and her four octave D3 to F7 coloratura soprano range. She is also widely known for her use o ...

and

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown (music style), Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player ...

, co-producing the latter's album, '' I Want You''.

Biography

Leon Ware was born and raised in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, United States. In his teens, he was a member of a vocal group, the Romeos, with Lamont Dozier and Ty Hunter (later of the Originals)."Not Forgotten", ''Record Collector'', No. 466, May 2017, p. 142 After a period at

ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...

he started his career as a songwriter at

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

in 1967. He co-wrote for

the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...

, Martha & the Vandellas and

the Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most ...

. In 1971, he collaborated with

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing voc ...

, co-writing six songs on their

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

album, ''Nuff Said''. The album reached the #21 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and also appeared on the ''Billboard'' 200. This led to a contract as a solo artist on United Artists where he released his self-titled debut album in 1972. Around this time, Ware began collaborating with

Arthur "T-Boy" Ross Arthur Ross (February 28, 1949 – May 30, 1996) was an American singer and songwriter most notable for his collaborations with Leon Ware. He was the younger brother of entertainer Diana Ross. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Ross hung around rougher ...

, younger brother of

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

. One of the songs they wrote was " I Wanna Be Where You Are" recorded by

for his 1972 album, '' Got To Be There''.Leon Ware - Musical Massage (Motown Classic Albums re-issue) (CD liner notes). Motown Records. B0000789-02 The single reached #2 R&B charts and peaked at #16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1972. Ware wrote for numerous artists during this period including

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

and

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential grou ...

. In 1974, Quincy Jones booked Ware as songwriter and performer for two songs off Jones' '' Body Heat'' album. The song, "If I Ever Lose This Heaven", hit the R&B charts in September of the year and was covered by the Average White Band. Ware worked with

on Jones' album and collaborated again on Riperton's album, '' Adventures in Paradise'' album, composing Riperton's R&B hit, "Inside My Love". Ware and T-Boy Ross worked on demos for Ware's second album, this one to be issued on Motown and also for T-Boy Ross to win a deal. One of the demo recordings, " I Want You", was heard by

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...

, who decided the song would be a good fit for

. Gaye heard the other demos and decided to record much of it on what would be his next album, '' I Want You''. Buoyed by the number-one title track, the album peaked at number-one on the R&B charts and reached the top ten of the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold over a million copies. Having given away the material for his album, Ware began again on a solo effort for Motown's Gordy label. The result would be Ware's second album, ''Musical Massage''. Released in September 1976, the album failed to chart and was not properly promoted. Ware produced the ''Shadows In The Street'' album for the group

Shadow A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette ...

, which was released in 1981. Ware continued his songwriting and producing career while also releasing solo albums between 1979 and 2008. During that period, Ware wrote for Teena Marie, Jeffrey Osborne, Loose Ends, James Ingram, Melissa Manchester, Krystol, Bobby Womack and

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...

, co-writing the latter's European hit, "Independence" in 1993. Ware contributed to singer

's 1996 debut album '' Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite'' by co-writing " Sumthin' Sumthin'". The album is considered one of the landmark albums of the neo-soul genre. At the time of that success, Ware's earlier work became a heavy source of samples in hip-hop music. As of 2009, Ware was recovering from treatment for

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that su ...

, and credited his friend and fellow songwriter Adrienne Anderson with directing him to appropriate medical care. He died in

Marina del Rey, California Marina del Rey ( Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The ...

on February 23, 2017 from complications of prostate cancer. He was 77.

Discography

Studio albums

Charted singles

Songwriting credits

Ware wrote and co-wrote dozens of songs for various artists, some of his credits include: * 1966: "Tell Me I'll Never Be Alone" – Martha & The Vandellas * 1967: ''Souled Out'' – The Righteous Brothers * 1967: "Land of Tomorrow" – Kim Weston * 1967: "Got To Have You Back" –

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...

* 1969: " When My Love Hand Comes Down" – The Ruffin Brothers * 1970: "2-4-6-8" –

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most ...

* 1970: "Just Seven Numbers (Can Straighten Out My Life)" – Four Tops * 1971: '''Nuff Said'' –

* 1972: " I Wanna Be Where You Are" –

* 1972: "

Up In Heah "Up In Heah" is a song written by Tina Turner and Leon Ware. It was released as a single by R&B duo Ike & Tina Turner on United Artists Records in 1972. Background and release After a period which Ike & Tina Turner recorded mostly cover songs, ...

" – Ike & Tina Turner * 1972: "I Know How It Feels To Be Lonely" – Delaney & Bonnie * 1972: "Don't Tell Me I'm Crazy" –

Edwin Starr Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. Starr was famous for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number-one ...

* 1973: "Give Me Just Another Day" –

* 1973: "Stay Away" – Valentinos * 1973: "Able, Qualified, And Ready" – Bonnie Bramlett * 1973: "Rolling Down A Mountainside" –

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songw ...

* 1973: "Euphoria" – Michael Jackson * 1973: " It's Too Late To Change The Time" – The Jackson 5 * 1973: "Don't Say Goodbye Again" – The Jackson 5 * 1973: "I Know It's You" –

* 1974: "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" –

* 1975: '' Adventures In Paradise'' –

* 1975: "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" – Nancy Wilson * 1975: "If I Don't Love You This Way" –

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

* 1975: "Git It" – Bobby Womack * 1976: '' I Want You'' –

* 1977: "

Fantasy Is Reality "Fantasy Is Reality" is a song recorded by the funk band Parliament. It was the only single released from the band's 1977 album '' Live: P-Funk Earth Tour''. The song was originally recorded during Parliament's period at Invictus Records. Unlike ...

" –

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

* 1980: "Everywhere Inside Of Me" –

Norman Connors Norman Connors (born March 1, 1947) is an American jazz drummer, composer, arranger, and producer who has led a number of influential jazz and R&B groups. He also achieved several big R&B hits of the day, especially with love ballads. He is pos ...

* 1980: "No Tricks" – Chuck Jackson * 1984: "Show Me Your Magic" – Bobby King * 1984: "My Dear Mr. Gaye" – Teena Marie * 1986: "Love's Been Here And Gone" – James Ingram * 1986: "You Make Me Want To (Love Again)" – Vesta Williams * 1996: " Sumthin' Sumthin'" –

References

External links

* A
Allmusic
*

at Soul Walking *
Leon Ware
75 minute audio mix with dialogue
Leon Ware 2012 Interview at Soulinterviews.com

Video

Leon Ware RBMA video lecture session
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ware, Leon 1940 births 2017 deaths Musicians from Detroit American soul musicians Record producers from Michigan Deaths from prostate cancer Deaths from cancer in California African-American male singer-songwriters United Artists Records artists Elektra Records artists P-Vine Records artists Motown artists Stax Records artists 20th-century African-American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers Singer-songwriters from Michigan